


Nephrite's first lesson

by Chromite



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Banjo, Music Lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-04 22:23:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18821944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chromite/pseuds/Chromite
Summary: Nephrite goes to Steven to learn about a strange new instrument she discovered.





	Nephrite's first lesson

>Nephrite fidgeted nervously as she stood in front of Steven's house. Her right hand knocked on the door a few times before resting by her side. Her left hand was clutching the top section of a stringed instrument, the long expanse of wood leading down to a small round circle, the strings resting upon a raised portion near the bottom of the round section.  
>Nephrite's nervousness eased a bit as she saw the door open to a familiar face. "Hi Centi! It's great to see you again!" Steven stood in the open doorway, a wide smile of joy on his face.  
>"It's great to see you too Steven. M-may I come in? I need to ask you something."  
>"You're always welcome to come in Centi!" Steven's eyes spotted the instrument in Nephrite's hand as she walked past the boy. "Cool banjo! I didn't know you knew how to play an instrument."  
>"A banjo? Is that what it's called? I don't know how to play it, I heard someone else playing it and liked the sound, so I got one." A light green blush spreads on Nephrite's cheeks. "I was h-hoping you could help me learn how to play it. I've seen you play things similar to this before."  
>"Ohmygosh, you want a music lesson from me?! I'd love to help you start out! Sit on the couch, I need to dig out my banjo."  
>Nephrite makes her way over to the couch slowly. She smiles as she sits down and sees Steven digging through the nearby storage closet, earnestly looking for his banjo.  
>"Aha, here it is!" Steven eagerly pulled out his banjo from the closet, sending a few old toys flying out behind it, landing upon the floor scattered around him. Steven quickly shoves the figures back into the closet before he sits down next to Nephrite, banjo in his hands.  
>Steven looks over to Nephrite, a serious expression upon his face. "I'll try and keep your first lesson simple Centi. I hope that's alright."  
>Nephrite was taken off guard by Steven's serious expression. She had never seen the boy look so focused before. "S-sure, it's okay with me. I didn't expect to learn everything in one day."  
>"Okay then! We'll start with basic finger positions." Steven twists his body so the front of the banjo is facing Nephrite. "Do you see how I'm holding my fingers Centi? This is how you play an A note." Steven strums the strings as a demonstration. "Now you try."  
>Nephrite looks over at how Steven is holding his fingers and does her best to mimic the positions. She winces as she strums the strings, the note comes out wrong, too high in tone. "That's not how it's suppose to sound, is it?"  
>Steven sets his banjo down upon the table. "Not bad for a first try Centi. Here, let me help you." Steven gently adjusts Nephrite's fingers along the strings, making her ease up on the tension of some, moving her fingers slightly for others. Nephrite's face flushed green as she blushed. "There, try it again."  
>When Nephrite strums the strings this time, the note comes out perfectly. "I, I did it!"  
>"Good work Centi! If you ease your hold on the strings and keep copying my finger placement, you'll be fine for today."  
>Steven proceeded to show Nephrite how to play each note, one at a time, adjusting her hands along the strings when he needed to. An hour into the lesson, Steven had Nephrite playing notes from memory. She still made mistakes, but she was learning quickly.  
> "I think that's good for today Centi, you've done great. Hold on, I've got something to send home with you," Steven began digging through the storage closet again, this time he found what he was looking for much faster. "Dad gave me this when I was learning how to play the banjo. It shows you all the positions you need to place your hands in. If you want to practice in your own time, this will help!"  
>Nephrite smiles as Steven hands her the music book. "Thanks Steven." Her face fell a bit as she thought of something. "Does this mean no more lessons?"  
>"What? No, not at all! I just wanted you to have a way to practice in between our lessons so you can learn faster, if you wanted to."  
>Nephrite breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, alright, that's fair. So when should I come back?"  
>"How about we make this a weekly lesson? Same time next week?"  
>"I look forward to it Steven."  
>Nephrite left Steven's home, her left hand carrying her banjo, her right hand holding on to the teaching guide Steven had given her tightly. She couldn't wait for next week's lesson.

**Author's Note:**

> Bit of a headcannon here, I think Greg knows how to play a lot of instruments well, and I think he's taught Steven how to play most of them. Banjos are a stringed instrument you strum, it's a safe bet Steven and Greg can both play it.


End file.
